'This Is War', The Anthem That Captured a Nation:
In the middle of his high intensity workout, Bruce felt the urge to collapse as the day's exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. For that brief moment, he felt as if in free fall, as the enormity of what he was attempting rose before as the distance elongated and the mountain's peak went from being in his grasp to a distant forever...and then the moment passed, as he raced that everdistant hill of swords and embraced his weakness, made it his strength, as he roared his defiance to the world. Standing there at the mountain's peak, simultaneously ecstatic and weakened in his victory, he knew it wasn't the end, that there was yet another mountain, an entire range of them, for him to conquer.
[In reality, Bruce was breathing heavy as his arm was outstretched, still resting in that final position as he slowly took in the fact that he had broken another sandbag.]
Later, in the middle of his lessons with Debbie, helping mold his deep bass to be able to use a wider range, Bruce let his mind drift as an anthem slowly built itself in his mind. At first, it came softly, a gentle cry into the night that He Was Here, before everything that he was and everything he aspired to be came to build that cry into a rally, and then a full on War Cry.
Possessed by an energy he did not understand, the song formed and as his vision narrowed as he cried havoc and let slip the dogs of war.
"
A warning to the people
The good and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian
The martyr, the victim
This is war
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
From the last to the first
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
It's a brave new world!"
"Freddie, Freddie! It's Carrie! Bruce's wife, Carrie Fisher! You know that new sound you were looking for? Well listen to THIS!"
It wasn't long after that he got a call from Freddie Mercury, who wanted him and the Highwaymen to join him in making that War Cry into an Anthem, having heard him pouring his heart and soul into the lyrics, drawing on his own experiences and struggles. He offered his help, and that of Queen, he turned his words into a powerful anthem that would resonate with people all over the world, wanting to help Bruce share his passion with the world.
The song, called "This Is War", was a hard-hitting rock ballad that captured the spirit of competition and the drive to succeed. Bruce and Freddie spent countless hours in the studio, perfecting the song and preparing for its release...and finally, the day came for Bruce to unveil his song to the world. He chose to release it just before he departed for the Olympics, where he would be representing his country as a boxer, wanting that song becoming an anthem for athletes and dreamers everywhere.
As Bruce stepped into the ring at the Olympics, he felt the support of millions of people around the world, inspired by his passion and his determination. He fought with all his heart and soul, and although he didn't win a medal, he felt like a champion. He knew that his song had the potential to inspire others to pursue their dreams, just as Freddie had inspired him with their anthem.
As he stepped into the ring, to fight that first opponent, he heard that rally once more and let the first warp-spasm seize him, letting it make him into a monstrous thing, hideous and shapeless, unheard of…His heart boomed loud in his breast like the baying of a watch-dog at its feed or the sound of a lion among bears. Malignant mists and spurts of fire flickered red in the vaporous clouds that rose boiling above his head, so fierce became his fury.
A/N: Where Bruce lets his grief, his rage, his all, out for the first time in forever, first as a song, and then in the ring.
